Oldwarm, loose clothes for post-swim. (You will urinate heavily after the swim to eliminate intracellular fluids, so make your clothes are easy to open or lower. Remember if the boat is rough you may need to sit on a toilet).

(Underwater) Camera (with flash) to take on board. If conditions are right and you have a swimmer going to the beach with you they will need a waterproof camera.

Marker pens and masking tape.Masking tape makes a good base for writing on plastic bottles. Duct tape also works.

Wetsuit for support swimmers. It’s about the swimmer, not the crew. Best to stay warm to function best as crew.

SPOT GPS tracker. Visible to others. Test beforehand and get link. Most English Channel Pilots already have these but not all. They are now affordable and very valuable for engaging others in your swim.

Feeds and medical supplies

Feed schedule. I suggest you laminate it and bring copies and a pen to write on the laminate in case of rain.

Maxim(or whatever your choice of Carb is).

Measuring Scoop. I almost forgot this after putting my Maxim in plastic bags for ease of transportation.

Cups or Feeding Bottles. Mike Oram suggests plastic Milk Cartons as feed bottles. If using these, collect extra lids before you go as some will definitely get lost by the swimmer, and you want to keep salt water getting in the bottle.

Retractable Dog Leash or line, (as I previously suggested, the crew unspools it to feed the swimmer, easy and quick to retract). I’ve used it in the Channel in rough water, it works really well. Alternatively a Mason’s reel, fencing reel, kite reel. Anything to quickly spool out or reel in long lines. Make sure you have a spare backup line in case the first breaks (as happened to me). I’ve tested the dog-leash in the Channel and it works really well with carabiners.

Mouthwash (make sure your crew mix 50/50 or it will burn your delicate mouth. Delicate was on the original list, I imagine Freda (Streeter) writing that with a certain sense of humour about complaining swimmers. I use a 2:1 water/mouthwash mix, as 50/50 is too strong for me).

Tea Bags or Coffee.

Electrolyte. But with zero carbs. Maxim Electrolyte is zero carbs. I changed to Zyn with Caffeine for MIMS, it was better.

Chocolate Bar and Cadbury’s Chocolate Rolls, Milky ways go down a treat and do not stick to the roof of your mouth. (I didn’t use either of these – these are a real Freda thing. Some use Fry’s Turkish Delight or other for same reason.) Choice maybe peaches or Kendall Mint Cake etc instead.

Ibuprofen. (Anti-inflammatory).

Paracetamol (Solpadeine, Neurofen or similar stronger painkiller for the latter half of swim).

Anti-histamine (I’ve never tested nor used these during swims).

I also bring Colpermin Peppermint capsules to stop any potential pre-diarrhoea stomach spasms. They work really well and you don’t taste the peppermint.

Immodium or something to stop actual diarrhoea – Just in case.

Personal medication. Plan in advance. For example as an asthmatic, I discussed with my GP who prescribed a spare antibiotic to take just in case I got a chest infection since I can recognise the early symptoms.

Dryboard or chalkboard and enough dryboard markers. If they get in any way damp they stop working quickly. You’ll need dry paper towel or similar to wipe & dry the board. Never used chalkboard on a boat myself, could be even more difficult in wet weather?

Funnel for mixing feeds. Make sure it has a wide neck, you can cut the top off a plastic One Litre bottle. If doing so make sure the funnel is slightly smaller than the bottle it is going into!

Wet cloth with plenty of washing up liquid, tied into a plastic bag, just in case, you or crew might want it after swim, useful for getting any grease off hands.

More water and Maxim than you think you need. My view is enough for at least 6 hours (one tide) extra swimming if doing a Channel swim , but I obviously have a specific reason, it’s what I took and we were almost at the end of it for the English Channel. Boats DO NOT carry excess water, contrary to what many landlubbers think.

Notebook and pen for your crew chief. Tell them to record everything.

Travel (new section for 2013 – mostly optional)

Power strip/power adaptor (The single most valuable new addition to the list). Many places you stay with crew will not have enough power outlets. One extra 4-socket power adaptor solved this problem.

Microfibre travel towels as outlined above. Essential if you are in Dover and the weather is rubbish, and you are trying to get towels dry.

Unlocked mobile phone. If you can borrow/get an unlocked phone you can just purchase credit for anywhere. Mobile phone bills can be a big problem returning home from a foreign swim. For English Channel / North Channel / Gibraltar you will need credit from both countries.

Keypod or SurfLock or similar (lockable safe for safely attaching keys to car during training swims)

Folding chair(s) & bungee. Some English Channel pilot boats don’t have anywhere to sit comfortably on deck. A folding chair might be essential for some crew members. Only useful of course in appropriate weather. Use the bungee to hold it place against the superstructure.

Seems like a great list to me!
I’ve been working on a few lists of my own as I’ve been making the leap from mid-distance OW to marathon swimming….one suggestion I had from a friend was to have sections/color coded items for cold/warm weather or salt/fresh water swims. For example, a sea lice/jellyfish lotion I use is ESSENTIAL for warm/salty condition, but useless other times, a special type of hot tea is essential for a cold water swim. So I’m thinking of making a list for basic, need all the time, never change, and then mini lists for certain conditions.
In Swim Around Charleston (12 miles with current) I did the whole thing with feeds just being thrown to me…I’ll never do that again. I would agree that some sort of system for feeds is essential, not that it is not possible to take them without something, but you end up wasting too much energy!

Thanks Ella. I keep making very minor adjustments, but I suspect this might actually be about my involvement in the Diana Nyad swim review panel last week. Some people are looking for an excuse, some don’t need any excuse. I did say congratulations on your Solo on Twitter didn’t I?

“(Items in blue are essential)”… Are you serious?! I mean it: ARE YOU SERIOUS? This is one of the worst blogs I have ever read about swimming the English Channel, but this list… blimey! How wrong can you get!

This blog isn’t about the English Channel, that’s only a small part of it. But please feel free to make any suggestions to the list based on your own Channel experience back in ’99, I always like making improvements to the checklist.